BEAT IT OR CHEAT IT?

I was lazing around that day. I didn’t know what to do? Or maybe I knew what I was supposed to do but didn’t feel like doing anything. Next day I had my GK (General Knowledge) exam and I was supposed to study for it. But who cares for a graded subject like GK? That to in standard fifth? I wasted my time doing all sorts of useless things- watched TV, hogged on the snacks, blew bubbles with soap water…All the activities which gave me everything except GK!

The next day arose. In the school bus, I just went through the thin GK book. Last minute studying, you see! I entered the school gate, with the GK book stuck in front of my eyes and tried to figure out what was in it! Till I could fruitlessly figure it out, the assembly bell rang and it was time to ‘keep aside all your things and thank Lord for His blessings’ (that was the typical dialogue our Sister Principal).

It was of no use to butter God because God only helps those who help themselves. So, during the entire assembly I was busy thinking about GK than about the Lord- What is the capital of Gujarat? Where is Mica found in India? Unfortunately, I could not recollect answers to any of these questions!

The assembly ended and the question papers came in our hands. I quickly jotted down the answers which I was sure about, and for the rest of them, I scratched my head. There was a big question mark on my head. All the resources I had were now exhausted! What do I do now! I thought, when resources deplete in a nation, what is recommended is ‘IMPORT’.

I gave a devilish smile to myself. I was going to import resources from others, in short cheat! No, no, I wasn’t an expert at cheating. It was my first time! I remember how I was poked by my conscience- how cheating for me was a sin, how my sister, the captain of the school then, had always been the ideal student and inspired me to become one to…and ‘I’ was going to CHEAT! But the devil in me killed the angel. I asked my friends for answers. I CHEATED!

Days passed after this incident and I was being eaten up by the guilt within me! I was ashamed of my act. Whenever I would see my sister, I would ask myself ‘What did you do!!!’ I had no guts to tell anyone in my family about this silly act of mine! But for how long could I hide it?

One day, when Tai’s final exams were going on and mom was busy taking up her studies, dad sat beside me and with a jolly mood asked me to get my science text book. I was hesitant to sit with him because I knew that if I would do so, I would surely vomit out the truth! But I did as he said. I got the text book. He took the text book and flipped through the pages. As he did so, he looked back to me and gave a smile. I smiled back and suddenly burst out in tears!

For a few minutes my dad was confused. He did not understand why I was sobbing so terribly! I gathered courage and told him about the deep, dark secret- I HAD CHEATED!!! I was surprised to see my dad coolly giggling instead of being angry! He didn’t shout at me at all but patted my back for being honest. He told me that my confession had washed away my mistake. I promised him that I would study hard the next time and not cheat! And you know what? My dad actually took up my GK for the next exam! How sweet of him! I never felt the need to IMPORT again!

THE JOURNEY TOWARDS CLASSICAL MUSIC

I was seated on the front-seat of our car and mom was driving it. Dangling my thin legs, I was humming the aalaps which were taught to me by my Guru during the previous class. The car took a turn and entered the galli of my singing class. The feeling that I used to experience after that turn was a horrible mixture of guilt, fear and boredom! Guilt for the fact that it had become a routine for me to rehearse at the eleventh hour…err…or should I say, 59th minute? My riyaaz consisted only of the few minutes of the car-travelling. The one hour of the singing class would be very slow and painful for me as my Guru would repeat the lessons of the previous class. As a 5th grade kid, I found all this quite boring. I would just repeat the lessons like a parrot. I didn’t know for what I was learning and for whom?

My mother had become the target of my temper tantrums, my sulking, my complaining and after becoming vary of all this, she allowed me to go my way and I discontinued with my classical lessons. She was happy with the fact that I was at least taking interest in my light-music classes. But she never gave up her effort to develop interest in my mind regarding Classical Music. She would lovingly take me to classical music concerts, where I would be the only black-haired among the white-haired people. I just remember the two things that would happen- the beginning aalap of the singer and the final applause of the audience which would awaken me!

I hoped to learn classical because I had to, not because I wanted to. The force was always external, never from within. Worse was the fact that my concepts were not clear. For me, there was no distinction between Carnatic and Hindustani music! Taali, khaali, bhaari- all were one for me! For me, catching hold of the ‘sum’ and calculating a mathematical ‘sum’ were equally problematic! My definition of classical music was singing some piece of composition with a heavy voice and then adding jerky and fast paced music pieces called by me as ‘Aaaa’! Maybe what I lacked was not interest, but maturity.

Thanks to the ‘n’ number of attempts my parents made, and the ‘n’ number of the people I had tried to learn from; I slowly started to decode the hidden beauty of the art called as ‘Classical Music’. The frequency of dozing off during a concert reduced drastically and I started making a genuine attempt to guess the taals, the structure and slowly I started concentrating more on the over-all effect, the mood that was created after a performance. And lo! I found contentment! I deciphered the meaning of classical music! I realized that it did not mean chasing the taal or competing with the harmonium but it meant achieving a balance between the musical elements. It means to achieve satisfaction, expression and it meant moving towards a higher level of living.

The so called ‘ugly-duckling’ by me, was developing into a beautiful swan. As I became acquainted with the musical concepts, I found myself falling more and more in love with it. I started realizing how a classical musician had the power to excite people yet sooth them. I slowly started feeling the ‘pull’ towards learning classical music!

To get acquainted with the little drops of this vast ocean, I decided to join the course in Mumbai University and this time it was ‘me’ who took interest! Thanks to the efforts of my teachers, seniors and other staff members, my ignorance regarding the various aspects of classical music was brushed off drastically during a short span of 2 years. I can proudly say, that my journey towards exploring classical music has definitely begun! There is a long way to go, but as it is said, when you have music along with you…even miles are crossed in a few seconds!

THE COLLEGE HAVING A FEW STORIES

Rigid. That’s the word which will come in people’s mind when you ask them about me. Throughout my school life, I had been known for my stubborn, inert and ‘mini- Hitler’ like behavior. Due to this rigidity, I had never mastered the ‘art’ of making good friends. I wanted to improve this aspect of my journey and thankfully I got a new chance, a new life- the college life.

I remember, when I was in the fifth standard, there was this fare-well arranged for the tenth grade students. Seeing them, I day dreamt of my boards, my farewell and how life would be in college. More than anything else, I was excited about the fact that I would have complete freedom to apply nail-paint and mehendi, whenever I would wish to! In this way, each year something new was added in the ‘what-to-do-after-school-life’ list. As the level of maturity increased, the priorities moved from childhood fantasies to improvement strategies.

Finally, the day of choosing a college had arrived. I had decided the college I would go to and had also written its name on the front page of the college note-books! But it seems that destiny did not go through these front pages and transferred me to a college which I was the most hesitant to go to- St. Xavier’s College!

Shocked, aren’t you? Even when it is the best for arts, why did I hesitate to become its alumni? The only reason was, my ‘rigidity’. I had stereotyped the Xavierites as students who were spoilt brats, having noodle-like hair, wearing tattered clothes and acting like modern-hippies. This was a perfect example of how stereotypes can make you take wrong decisions, but thanks to my family and friend’s persuasion, I at last got into Xavier’s.

As I got to know the college and as it got acquainted to me, I found out that the students here, were not different than me! The FYJC life was hectic, but fun. Loads of group projects, the nervous shivering while presenting them, the smiles we exchanged after exams ended and the most important part- the joy of having great friends! I loved the way we mixed! I loved the way we explored! I loved the way we defined life! Not only friends but also the teachers- each with their unique style of teaching. I never knew that college-professors take such a lot of interest in student-improvement!

The SYJC was even better! As friendships deepened and new friend joined in, my mind-set opened and the rigidity, surprisingly started dissolving. This college not only helped me to learn the art of friendship but also added a spiritual flavor in my life. As the interactions between us and the professors increased, I found a new explanation to the term ‘knowledge’- which was to learn more from beyond the four walls of the class-room.

This college was not a mere building, but was a care-taker, a knowledge-giver, a philosopher and most importantly a mother, my alma mater! I remember everything- the foyer, the libraries, the ‘Harry Potter’ steps, the chapel, the computer lab, everything! Everything!

This cozy little nest of ours helped us to come out of the shell. Tomorrow the birdies will glide away in different directions… but we will definitely not forget Xavier’s, who strengthened our wings…Hopefully after SYJC, I return to this nest to reach the higher skies in future.